We are Karro and Veronica, two engineers who wrote our master’s thesis about user testing of mobile games with help of session recording tools. In this blog post we are going to talk about what a session recording tool is, how to carry out user testing with these tools and what the benefits are. We are also going to explain important aspects to consider regarding session recording tools and test services.

The thesis research, which this blog post is based on, was conducted at the mobile games development company MAG Interactive at their headquarters in Stockholm and the main focus was on how to test mobile games. During our research, we evaluated a total of 10 session recording tools and test services with the goal to find the tool and service most suitable for user testing of mobile games. One of the objectives for the thesis was also to establish a workflow for how to perform user testing with session recording tools, this workflow will be presented further down.Continue reading How to conduct user testing of mobile games using session recording tools?

Having worked a lot with ­­offline-capable apps lately, I started to see similar trends everywhere. Of course, that is partly because of frequency illusion, also known as Baader-Meinhof phenomenon – “When a thing you just found out about suddenly seems to crop up everywhere.”

Nonetheless, offline is really trending. As broadband connections and 4G cell phones become commonplace, and everyone and their mom talk about IoT, streaming and The Cloud™, it might seem strange to focus on the eventuality that you would temporarily lose your precious connection. But I find it perfectly reasonable. The more we get used to online services, the more we depend on them, and the worse the damage done when they unexpectedly stop working. Considering and handling offline scenarios is proactive damage control.

It’s a new month and time for another awesome beta tester to take the limelight here at the Beta Family Blog. This month we’re featuring Amit Kulkarni who’s been a part of our community for several years. He has some interesting tips on how to become a successful beta tester so keep reading and have your notepad ready!

For your products to become successful you need to know your target market and audience. If you don’t know these you’ll waste time and money on irrelevant people. But how do you know your true target audience? The people you think are your target market might actually be the complete opposite to those who end up buying your products.

It’s October and we’ve got a new beta tester show you. Ken Wong Zhi Bin is our Beta Tester of The Month. He’s 34 years old and there were two things that made him start with beta testing. Read on to find out what they are.

Or: How Comhem messed up their software, and what we can learn from their mistakes

Once, there was this functioning TV app

In Sweden, one of the largest cable TV provider is Comhem, offering the TiVo TV platform to over 200, 000 customers. The TiVo box allows scheduled program recordings, Netflix integration, and a variety of other features related to “smart TV viewing”. Of course, a mobile app is included in this TiVo solution.

The app was available for iOS and Android devices, providing a TV guide, the possibility to start recordings when away from home, remote control replacement and a few other helpful features. You could also view TV directly on your device, either recorded programs or live streaming. Great for some late night viewing in bed, or breakfast news in the kitchen with your tablet.

The app might not have been beautiful, but it matched the GUI on the TiVo box itself, making it feel familiar to users.

Since I joined Beta Family I’ve discovered a tool called Mention, which lets users monitor certain phrases that are important to them. For example, I’m always on the lookout for app development companies that need beta testers and with Mention I get an overview of all social media channels and forums where companies are searching for them. It’s great!

Using Mention I noticed it’s common for fans of games and other applications to contact companies directly and offer to be beta testers. This is quite interesting and I reckon worth chatting about, because there are some aspects to consider when using fans as testers.

I’m happy to let you know we’ve got a very exciting test that’s open to ALL testers in the US (iOS devices only). We have the opportunity to test and compare some of the biggest music streaming services out there. It’s also possible the results will be published in major publications and websites.

Wow, time flies! It’s already September and time for another Beta Tester of The Month. This month we’re happy to feature Jerrod Kerwin-Sweeney! He’s got an eye for user interface design and enjoys innovative and creative solutions. Keep reading to find out his tips for beginner beta testers.